Bucket and hopper construction for material-elevating towers



March 31, 1931. T SCANNELL 1,798,501

BUCKET AND HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR MATERIAL ELEVATING TOWERS Original Filed March 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 31, 1931. T, SCANNELL 1,798,501

BUCKET AND HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR MATERIAL ELEVATING TOWERS Original Filed March 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1931. A SCANNELL 1,798,501

BUCKET AND HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR MATERIAL ELEVATING TOWERS Original Filed March 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 31, 1931 ALBERT '1. SCANNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS BUCKET AND HOPPER CONSTRUCTION FOR MATERIAL-ELEVATING TOWEB$ Original application filed March 11, 1929,

Serial No. 345,963. Divided and this application filed June 21,

1930. Serial No. 462,861.

This invention relates to improvements in bucket and hopper construction for material elevating towers.

This application is a division of my appli- 5, cation Serial No. 345,963, filed March 11, 1929, for Towers for elevating construction materials.

The construction of the tower, cat head, trackways and certain other features of the in invention are described in my prior applica tion above mentioned and will not be further described here except as may be necessary in rendering clear the operation of the subject matter claimed.

The principal object of the present improvements is to provide a coacting hopper and sliding bucket construction whereby the bucket can be dumped within the confines of the tower, the contents of the bucket being so conveyed to the hopper on the exterior of the tower by means of a chute, the chute and bucket having cooperating means for efiecting the dumping of the bucket on the ascent of the latter and for righting the bucket on 25 its descent past the chute.

A further object of the invention relates to the provision of a hopper having a frame slidable on an outer face of the tower for delivery of materials at various elevations, said frame supporting the chute which is pivoted thereto whereby the chute can be tilted outwardly of the tower during the elevation of the frame to avoid obstruction by the tower structure.

Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein: 4P1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tower and related structure embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hopper,

hopper frame and chute detached from the tower.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken view of the tower showing the chute tilted to outer position to permit the hopper, hopper frame and chute to be raised or lowered.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the chute.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bucket.

In the drawing, 10 indicates the tower generally having corner posts 11, horizontal girts 12 and diagonal bracing 13. On one face of the tower the hopper frame 14 is slidable vertically on vertically spaced track members 15, 7 whereby the hopper 16 can be positioned at various elevations for the distribution of concrete as the building under construction progresses. The frame 14 has diagonal brac ing 17 which makes the frame rigid whereby the frame reinforces the tower when the diagonal bracing 13 of a section of the tower is removed to accommodate the chute 18. The hopper 16 is bolted or otherwise secured to the frame 14 while the chute 18 is pivoted to the frame by means of a rod or pivots 19 adjacent the lower open end of the chute. In use, the chute is held in position by the pivots 7o 19 and by pins 20 (see Fig. 5) which pass through suitable openings in a portion of the frame structure. The upper pair of bracing 17 of the frame passes through the chute 18 as indicated in Fig. 3. When the pins 20 are removed, the chute can be moved on the pivots 19 in a direction outwardly of the tower until the inclined wall 21 of the chute rests against the bracing 17 in which position the inner face of the chute clears the tower structure. The frame, hopper and chute can then be raised or lowered as a unit by any suitable means, such as the cable 22 as described in my application above mentioned. This position of the chute is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and l in full lines in Fig. 4. a I

In normal operating position the chute 18 projects into the tower for receiving concrete from the bucket 23 and conveys it from the interior of the tower into the hopper 16 ca whence it may be distributed to its place'of use by any of the well known methods.

The chute 18 has guide members 24, 25 and 26 I on the inner walls of each end thereof which engage the rollers 27 on each end of C3 the bucket as the latter ascends past the chute. The bucket is secured by pivots 28 to a frame 29 (see Fig. 1) which is guided by tracks 30 within the tower, and when the rollers are engaged by the guides 24, 25 and 26, the buckiii:

' chute or bucket et is tilted and the contents discharged into the chute 21. The upward movement of the bucket moves the rollers 27 from engagement with the guides and thus the bucket is free to move upwardly above the chute. This over-running feature prevents damage to the in case the operator elevates the bucket higher than is necessary to effect the dumping thereof. On the descent of the bucket, the guides of the chute again engage the rollersv and right the bucket within its frame 29.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a tower, of a frame sliding in said tower, a dump bucket pivoted thereto, a hopper frame secured to said tower and vertically adjustable on the outside thereof, a hopper secured to said frame and a chute pivoted to said frame and normally clearing said tower but arranged to swing inwardly into position to receive the contents of said dump bucket and discharge the same into said hopper.

2. The combination with a tower, of a frame slidably mounted on the exterior there of, a hopper supported by said frame, a chute pivoted to saidframe on an axis exterior of said tower, whereby said chute can be tilted outwardly of said tower from operative position therein to enable the chute and hopper frame to be moved as a unit along a face of said tower, and a bucket slidable within said tower for discharging into said chute when the latter is in operative position.

3. The combination with a tower, of a hopper frame slidably secured to one face thereof, a hopper carried by said frame, a chute having an opening for discharging into said hopper, braces for said frame passing through said opening, said chute being plv- V oted to said frame on an axis exterior of said tower whereby said chute can be tilted outwardly of said tower from operative position therein and moved with said hopper and frame along a face of the tower, and a bucket movable within the tower for discharging material into said chute when the latter is in operative position.

4. The combination with a tower comprising vertical members and diagonal braces, of a. hopper frame secured to said tower, said frame having diagonal braces to compensate for braces removed from said tower at the level at which material is to be transferred from the interior to the exterior of said tower, a hopper carried by said frame, a chute pivoted'to said frame and arranged to discharge material into said hopper, and a bucket slidable within said tower for discharging into said chute.

5. The combination with a tower, of a frame slidable alongone face thereof, a hopper secured to said frame, said frame having diagonal cross bracing, a chute pivoted to said frame, said chute having a front wall my name.

' ALBERT T. SCANNELL. 

